Justification:
Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

This widespread species ranges from the Near East, through the north of the Arabian Peninsula and Iran to most of South Asia. It has been recorded from southeastern Turkey (Yiğit et al. 2001), eastern Syria, Kuwait and Iraq (Harrison and Bates 1991), ranging through much of central and southern Iran to Pakistan and Afghanistan, from here it ranges throughout India, and Sri Lanka, being also widely distributed through much of Nepal south of the Himalayas. It ranges in elevation from sea level up to 2,000 m (Molur et al. 2005).

This species is found in a range of dry or arid habitats. In South Asia, it occurs in dry deciduous forests, scrub forests, grasslands, rocky areas, hot deserts, arid and semi-arid regions and uncultivated areas. It has been found to occupy undisturbed barren open areas (Molur et al. 2005). In Turkey, it appears to prefer uncultivated arid and semi-arid habitats with soft soil and dry river slopes (Yiğit et al. 2001). Harrison and Bates (1991) indicatethat the species can be found in agricultural country not far from water, including heavily grazed areas.